Knock Three Times
by Akasha617
Summary: Babe short that was meant to be a one-shot because I was feeling sappy and fluffy. Now it has some closure.
1. Chapter 1

Just a one-shot, one of those things I couldn't get out of my mind.

I appreciate all comments, as usual, they mean the world to me

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters. -sigh-

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Knock Three Times

"Yo." I sat up in bed, glancing at the clock. Two in the morning. While there were a number of people that could call me at this hour, I knew it was Stephanie. It was a feeling.

"Ranger, I…I'm sorry to wake you," she said. I had to smile. Like I ever gave her a hard time about waking me. She knew I'd help whatever time it was.

"The last time I called you at this hour I was naked and cuffed to the shower rod, right?" She giggled nervously. I remembered that time and couldn't help thinking it would have a whole other outcome if it happened now. For starters, I wouldn't let Morelli get away with it. But more importantly, I wouldn't just leave.

"Everything okay, Babe?"

"Uhm…I'm sorry I'm calling so late but…I just got home and…there's someone in my apartment and…could you come over, I…"

I was already out of bed. "Babe, what…," the line was dead. I hit the end button and dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail. Fuck.

I grabbed my shirt and cargos on my way out of the bedroom, calling the control room with my free hand.

"Who do we have on or near Hamilton?" I asked Junior when he picked up. I was even more irritated now because it had taken two rings for him to answer. He checked his board.

"Santos and Brown are on Hamilton, just returning from the Hillman account," he said.

"Sent them over to 310 Dunworth immediately," I barked. I knew I didn't have to tell Junior or the team what they were going to do there. They knew the address.

"Right away," Junior confirmed and disconnected.

I was standing at the elevator with my gun belt in hand, but I didn't have the patience to wait and took the stairs down.

When I got to the garage I called Santos for an update. They were still on their way. I called Steph and got her voicemail again. I felt panic. It was an unusual feeling, I didn't do panic, or fear, or any of those. Unless Steph was involved. "Babe," I sighed exasperated as I got into my truck and sped out of the garage. If I was honest with myself, I'd have to admit that the reason I'd fought for so long to keep my distance was because of those feelings.

I'd been in my share of tricky situations. War was never easy. But I'd never been afraid. I'd never feared anything until I'd feared for Steph's life the first time. The first time I thought I couldn't make it in time, she'd be dead by the time I'd find her.

I'd hated the reality of it. I knew there was this woman I cared so much about it scared me to think of my life without her. If any of my men said something like that to me, I'd laugh in their face and call them a sap. And that's what I was, a sap.

I'd told her once that I had the muscle and she had the power. It wasn't a joke.

I ran a red light shaking my head.

It was my fault she was in danger. No, I hadn't sent her a stalker or a lunatic, but I'd refuse to be with her. I knew she'd broken up with the cop and still I kept my distance. Why? Because it scared me that she could scare me, idiotic as that is.

My phone rang and I hit the speaker button, "Talk."

"We're on location," Santos reported. "NTR outside. Bobby's taking the fire escape, I'm going up the stairs inside."

"I'll be there in less than five," I said and hung up. It was unlikely cops were out at this hour to catch speeders, but if they were, I couldn't care less.

I took the corner of St. James and Dunworth on barely two tires, coming to a screeching halt in front of Steph's building, right behind Santos' SUV.

I was up on the second floor in a flash. Santos was by the door. The lock was broken, some amateur's version of breaking and entering.

I just looked at Santos and he motioned towards the living room. I didn't dare breathe until I realized he was showing me the destruction, not Steph's body.

I almost laughed out loud when I realized whoever had broken in had ransacked her apartment, but she wasn't here. Just outside her front door, I'd tried to prepare myself for the worst.

"She's not here," I stated the obvious and turned when I heard a noise from the bedroom. Seconds later, Bobby came into the living room.

"No sign of struggle in the bedroom," he said. I wanted to shake them both for what they weren't telling me. I could see my Babe wasn't in the apartment, but where was she? Now that the relief from not finding her hurt or dead had worn off, I was getting worried again.

"Where is she?" I glared at Santos and Brown. Yes, that's how I thought of it, I glared. Not that I'd admit it to the men, but she has me thinking in her terms. Apparently it worked because Santos lowered his eyes, Brown cleared his throat.

It wasn't fair to make them responsible for her, I reminded myself. And if it was anyone's fault she'd been alone tonight, it was mine.

I ran a hand through my hair. Where had she been until two AM anyway? She wasn't back with the cop, was she? It would serve me right for staying away and out of her bed so long, but I hoped it wasn't true. When I found her, I'd find out. When, not if, she was fine, I just had to…

I turned at the sudden noise from the foyer.

Steph stood, looking like a lost little girl, her hair wet and matted to her scalp, her eyes wide. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Babe," I said and pulled her into my arms a millisecond later. She threw her arms around my neck and held on like a drowning swimmer.

I didn't notice when Santos and Brown left, when I finally looked up and they were gone, the front door closed as far as it would go.

"Babe, don't you ever scare me like that again," I whispered into her hair. She just sobbed and held me closer.

"Shhh," I said, "It's all good. I'm not gonna let you go…"

"You promise?" She sobbed. I picked her up, unable to answer her right away because I thought my voice might break. I cradled her close to me and carried her over to the bedroom.

"I promise," I finally said when I put her down on the bed and slid in behind her, covering us both with the blanket.

I held her until she stopped shivering and then I ran my hands over every part of her body, assuring she was unhurt and here, in my arms.

And I'd never let her go. A promise was a promise.


	2. Chapter 2

Yes, I know I said this was a one shot, but it just wouldn't leave me alone, so I ad to write a conclusion…and again I blame my sappy streak for it. I hope it works for you. I'd appreciate you letting me know, review whore that I am.

A big Thanks to Stayce for her help!

But I still don't own anything or any of the characters, they're JE's.

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Knock Three Times

Part 2

After what seemed like hours, Stephanie's breathing calmed. I got up and got her robe from the bathroom. She took it from me with a grateful smile and wrapped it around her, then lay back down.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" I asked.

We hadn't found anything or anyone in or around her apartment, I was sure Santos or Brown would have included it in their report, but it was clear something had scared her shitless.

She took a deep breath and turned so she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. I could see her forehead in the dim light that filtered in from the parking lot and reached out a hand to smooth the frown lines. Her hair was beginning to dry into a hundred tiny curls.

"I…I got home," she started. "And…and I don't know why, but I looked upstairs and there was a…" she swallowed, "a light on in my apartment."

"Then you called me," I suggested when she didn't say anymore.

"No, no at first I thought I'd forgotten I'd left it on and went upstairs."

My stomach clenched at the thought of what could have happened. "Babe…"

"I know, it was stupid, in hindsight, but…" She turned her head and looked at me. "You came."

I smiled at her. "Of course I came right over. Why'd you hang up?" I didn't want to accuse her of scaring the shit out of me, but effectively, that's what had happened.

"When I got upstairs, I heard noises," she said. "At first I thought it was Rex running but then…" she suddenly bolted upright. "Oh god! Rex! Is he…"

I sat up and put my arm around her. "He's fine. There was no one here when we arrived."

She relaxed at that and leaned into me. I closed my eyes and held her. She took a couple deep breaths before she continued.

"It was probably just me overreacting," she said, her face against my chest, her breath tickling my skin.

"Steph, you don't have to tell me if it's too hard, I just want to make sure you're safe." I pulled her closer and she wrapped her arms around me.

"I just panicked and called you. It was probably just me overreacting," she repeated, as if she was trying to convince herself.

"I doubt that," I said. "Your instincts are pretty sharp."

I could feel her smile at that. After a moment, she pulled her head back to look at me. "I didn't know it was you," she said. "When you arrived. At first. Otherwise I would have come out. I heard the cars and I thought it was, you know, them. Coming back." I could hear naked fear in her voice.

"So you hid?" I guessed. That would explain why she was soaked when she came in, the rain was just letting up now, it had been heavy when I arrived.

She nodded. "I hid behind the hydrangea bushes. They didn't see me."

"Who?"

She sighed. "They. Whoever they were. There were two of them. They left maybe a minute after I'd come downstairs, while I was on the phone with you. I was too scared to come out and take a closer look. I didn't get a license plate number."

Okay, now it all made sense. "So you turned off your phone."

"Yes, I…oh!" She bit her lower lip. "You must have thought…that I, I mean that they…I was just so afraid they'd hear me!"

I nodded and she sucked in some air. "I'm so sorry Ranger! I wasn't thinking I…"

"Shhh," I soothed, pulling her head down to my shoulder. "It's all good, nothing happened."

Thank God. I couldn't even describe the possibilities that ran through my mind when the connection went dead. I'd feared the worst, not that I'd ever tell her that. Learning how close it had actually been was bad enough.

So far, I'd done a pretty good job at hiding my feelings for her. The few times too much had slipped out, I was always able to defuse it fast enough.

I was pretty sure Steph thought of me as a man whom she could count on and who loved her as a friend. Which I was, of course, but if I'd let my control slip, I'd be so much more.

And that would put her in danger, I couldn't risk it. If word got out I had feelings for a woman, she would be a target for far worse than stalkers and run of the mill psychos.

No, this was as close as I would allow myself to get, it had to be. I had it right when I drove over here, as close to panic as I'd ever get, I was the one who put her in danger. But not because I wouldn't be with her. Because I'd let her in too close.

At the moment, that was pretty hard, the way her breasts pressed into my chest and the smell of her hair wafted up to me as I ran my fingers through it.

She reached around me and fished a tissue out of the box on her nightstand. Wiping her nose, she sighed.

"So let me sum up," I said. "You heard them in your apartment, and you saw them leave."

She nodded again. "I know, I made a big thing out of nothing, I don't know why I got so scared. I'm sorry I woke you and…"  
"Stop," I said, lifting her head with my fingers so I could see her eyes. "You know you can always call me. You did the right thing. Tomorrow, I'll need you to go through everything to find out if anything's missing. Then we'll start looking for them." I cupped her face in both my hands. "It looks like you scared them and they didn't get to do any damage."

She smiled and her blue eyes sparkled. "You don't think I overreacted?"

She'd done the exact right thing and I was proud of her. She could've gotten hurt or…worse.

"Not at all." And then I couldn't help myself. She looked so vulnerable and yet so…kissable. I lowered my head and brushed my lips over hers.

A small sigh escaped her mouth and I was done for. Fuck distance. She needed me. _I_ needed her. Her lips parted slightly and I closed her mouth with mine, touching her tongue with my own.

She tightened her arms around me and sank into the kiss.

Whatever the consequences were, I'd have to find a way to deal with them. There was no way I was going to let her go.

Ever again.

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A/N: So I hope that clears a few things up and doesn't leave it hanging as the first part... 


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